Azure Websites service, as part of several Azure services becoming integrated into a new larger service known as Azure App Service.

App Service integrates the best of Azure Websites, Mobile Services, API Management, and Microsoft Azure BizTalk Services, along with new capabilities in Logic and API apps to provide you with a unified set of capabilities for building more powerful enterprise web and mobile apps. Removing the burden to develop across multiple platforms or learn new languages, App Service helps you build more secure connections to your enterprise and software-as-a-service (SaaS) systems, scale IT infrastructure, automate business processes, and more, so you can focus on building groundbreaking apps and experiences, faster and more efficiently.

Azure Websites is now known as Web Apps within App Service.

From an Azure Websites perspective, this is strictly a name change. You can continue to access your existing websites via the Azure Preview portal, where you’ll find all your websites listed under Web Apps. Additionally, Web Hosting Plan is now App Service Plan. App Service Plan can host any service type of App Service, such as web, mobile, logic, or API apps.

Beyond the name change from Azure Websites to Web Apps, pricing will remain the same, but you’ll have access to significantly more capabilities coming from the integration of Azure Websites into App Service.

You’ll now be able to extend your Web Apps with mobile back ends, create workflows, automate business processes, connect to enterprise and SaaS systems, and much more.

For more information about Azure App Service, please visit the App Service webpage and remember students now get access to this service via DreamSpark.com and faculty can use Azure for Education for teaching and learning